Ever since I was a little girl I have been bullied. I was called fat, ugly, loser, and other cuss words. I used to wear my heart on my sleeve and got made fun of because of it. So I decided to start acting tough... only that made matters worse because I would start taking everything that happened to me out on my family. I would have these major breakdowns that only kept getting worse over the years. I am now a junior and I now have to take anxiety medicine to help me. Of course I've tried talking to the school administration about problems, but does anything productive ever get done? No. I'm not doing things next year just so I don't have to deal with certain people. Bullying has majorly affected my life and now I'm trying to change my school so other kids don't end up like me... medicine and counseling. No one should have to go through what I've gone through. I plan on making a change.

I have been bullied all threw 1st grade to sophomore year.  When i was younger , not only did my bullies went to my school, they lived nearby and went to the same day camp.  How can you escape that??? it was hard, walk a different way to and from school, avoid, avoid, avoid !  I grew up not trusting anybody, angry and suicidal in a young age. My mother work late and when i was at my dads he work late also, i was on my own.  My mom tried counseling , i hated that, Who is this person? why do i have to talk to them??   I felt misunderstood and a freak. I didn`t understand why i was pick on, i wasn`t fat and yet i been called a pig, i wasn`t sick  and yet i was told i had a disease , Why?  I was quiet and was in special ed , and i guess that was all the reason children had to make my life a living hell.   I would make friends and soon they found out that i was in a special class , they stop hanging around me.  I have been chased on my bike, lost friends , called names and all because i was different. Going to audlts didn`t work, they just told me to ignore it, that never works. Well, i learn in a young age to stand up for my self and to never be like them . I befriend the outsider and was proud to be one also.   It is hard to love who you are when negitive people are around you putting you down, you need to tell yourself that you are better then them cause you don`t need to put others down to make yourself feel better, that took along time to see that .  have to remember, when you get angry and lash out, they win, you don`t want them to win, the reason why they are being bullies is not your fault.  When you get older , you get to understand, that your bullies or bully is being bullied them self, there is always a reason why someone acts a cretin way.  You don`t have to figure that out, but, sometime it helps to talk to your bully, ask, why are you bullying me? takes to be bold, but, can`t hurt.   If nobody is going to stand up for you, you have to do it yourself, but, pick your battles.   I found coping skills , talking it out, music, walking, writing it out, ect, all works.  Forgive, let it go, live your life !!!

I was bullied from grade 7 up until grade 12 when I could escape school and never have to face the bully's again. I would dread going to school it was horrible every day it would get worse and worse. Being called a slut, skank, whore, fat, ugly, acne face, being spit on, having romours spread. I attempted to take my life numerous time because the bullying never stopped. I was quiet I never told anyone of what was going on. looking back now I wish I talked to someone anyone my parents my sisters a teacher anyone. the last few months of grade 12 I decided to reach out and let my mom know what was going on becuase I could not Handel being alone anymore. I thought I was strong enough to be able to deal with all these bully's on my own but the hurt the pain was to much. I knew if I did not reach out I would take my own life. one day I woke up and realized these bully's are NOT going to win they need to realize I am stronger than them. Do not ever let bully's control your life.

My earliest memories of bullying go back to Kindergarten, one boy who bullied me all through elementary School started with taking toys away form me at recess. One day in the 3rd grade I went to the paper cabinet and that boy was there. He asked if I needed a piece of paper, when I replied yes he punched me in the face. Things like this happened to me almost daily at school. I hated going and often had to run home from school so I wouldn't get beaten up. Even teachers seemed to pick at me. I never felt safe at school. My Parents changed my school district as I was entering Jr. High and it stopped. Unfortunately,  my father died a year later and I was unable to attend that school district anymore because of its location and pick up was a problem. So back to the old school district I went, I remember it was my first or second day back a boy who I had never met asked," are you Doug Craven"? I said "yes" and he punched me in the face. I guess it is hard to explain my experience in such a short story. The bullying I experienced has affected me and who I am today, I am 45 now and still think about those times and how hurt I was. I want to be a part of this project and help protect the children of bullying. I want to be a loud voice in helping end bullying.

Douglas Craven

San Diego, California

I was bullied in Middle School and High School and it changed my personality and my self esteem forever. I am 32 years old I have chosen to forgive the people who bullied me and empower young people who are being bullied.

.

Ever since 5th grade I have been hanging out with students I shouldn't be hanging out with. They have a lot of how shall I put this in a nice way um they had a lot of social problems and were bullies. I hungout with them until 7th grade everything changed I was texting one girl and she started saying that she was going to come kill me and that I was a slut that I slept with her boyfriend I have never met her boyfriend before. And that went on for maybe 3 months. I asked her to stop and then I started shrugging it off I remember crying because she turned all of my friends against me. By saying that I was spreading rumors about her and her friends which I never did. My mom was reading threw my phone and found out the next day she talked to the principal I stayed out that day when he talked to her the sad part the principal didn't do a dang thing he basically shrugged it off. I had no friends the rest of the year. we could decide where we wanted to sit in class and the tables where put up so 4 students could sit at one table so I sat down along with the other girls in the group and it had to be 2 girls and 2 guys the teacher say this and said one of us had to move I said I wouldn't move to see who was still my friend. they both moved the teacher didn't say anything he just went to right back to class I fought tears the whole hour I felt so embarrassed and just like my life wasn't worth it. I told my mom right after school and cried. she called the teacher right away he said he should have done something so he made a seating chart the bad thing one of the girls was sitting next to me we didn't talk at all I never talked to anyone the rest of my 7th grade year. I made a friend in 8th grade then she started saying I was trying to take her friends away that was about 2 months ago she stopped talking to me as well as the whole school except teachers. I left that school because I felt so alone I switched to online schooling and have told my old school that I refuse to go back unless this issue is resolved. I only have 2 friends one goes to my school I see her sometimes. and my bff she is in a charty school and I don't see her much maybe once a month. I have just started self harming im so depressed and alone my parents don't know.

From kindergarten to the 12th grade I encountered bullies & victims. It never mattered if I knew the bully or the victim, if I saw unjust cruelty I immediately intervened. I lost a lot of 'friends', people you thought were good but they are just as capable of cruelty like any other human being. It was not hard for me to let go of a 'friend' like that when it comes to doing the right thing. I was always the quiet girl smiling in the back of the classroom, I made friends with anyone and everyone, but if I ever saw someone being bullied I would step in with a strong force, look that bully deep in the eyes and tell them the wrong they are doing and if they wanted to continue they would have to deal with me everytime, or they could drop it and never do it again. I was a well trained athlete in many sports so I had the physical confidence and commanding presence with everyone knowing what strengths I was capable of. Everytime the bully respected my position. I didn't just step in, I assertively explained what they were doing was wrong and needed to end. This was a hard postion when it was someone I knew well being the bully, but it was even harder when it was a good friend being bullied because my emotions would get me even more, that's when the bully would truly feel my wrath. I had the 'Zero Tolerance' approach and I always will. You must take a stand, stand with your true friends, stand with the victims even if you don't know their name, and always stand up against a bully. Let them feel your conviction on their conscious soul and remember that moment so it will not be repeated by another, to another. ZERO TOLERANCE.

Since about the beginning of the school year, I've been bullied along with my best guy friend. He was called gay, me a lesbian, and that we were only so called dating each other because we were homosexual. The rumors were so awful and all untrue. I felt so alone. I thought it couldn't get any worse, but then the rumors spread online. People said that we slept together and that I was pregnant. There were notes written for me on my locker calling me a slut. My whole school was in on it. I thought about suicide 7 times and thought of 15 different ways to do it. 

This just stopped in about the end of January. Since then, I've faced major depression. I have to meet with a therapist now. I think I considered suicide once more. I feel like I can't trust anyone and I feel as if the only people who would understand me, are those I've never met (such as my role models).

I was bullied as a young child through my teen years, after years of wanting to hide away from the world because of the pain, and shame of being bullied i fell into a downward spiral of drugs. it took years to just shove all the memories down and try to get my life back. Now that i am a mom of three young children i have them coming home with these horrible stories of other kids making them feel as i felt when i was young. my preteen daughter is just so soft hearted and it does not take much and some kids in her grade know this so she has become as easy target. the school has told me that she is not tough enough and what the other kids are doing is harmless picking at her but i think anytime a child comes home 4 days in a row crying because kids are calling her names and hitting on her i think that it goes way beyond harmless picking. I am tired of getting i will deal with it and it seems like nothing is happening. It is almost like the school system just does not want to do the paperwork to fix the problem.